Egoveride

I tried a break from poker and I could only last 24 hours. The problem I have is essentially down to ego and lack of self control. These twin demons keep me playing and keep me losing. It would be a profoundly depressing situation if I weren't playing for such small stakes on a truly recreational basis. Like all things in my life I take poker too seriously, try too hard to be the best and when the reality of mediocrity comes crashing down I want to quit. The further problem is that my ego won't accept that I can't ever learn how to play this infernal game,since it is essentially a strategy game like any other. I therefore conclude that I should learn better strategies and gain more experience, so I get stuck in a cycle heading back to the books&stats then back to the tables and so on and so forth....My girlfriend realises this, and since she is a far more successful microstakes player than I am I should listen to her advice when she tells me to stop taking it too seriously and to play less. It just pains me to think of the money I could be winning (admittedly in small increments) when all I have to do to win this pot of gold is make less mistakes than the next player.